HYMN FOR THE GREATEST GENERATION

I was recently at a coffeehouse in the midwest that was playing some fine indie-pop which turned out to be a popular Irish artist going by the name of FAR CASPIAN, and the acoustics made him sound somewhat post rockish. In looking him up, I discovered he was not to be confused with Beverly MA post rock group CASPIAN. Well that sounded more interesting so from here I determined that "Hymn for the Greatest Generation was CASPIAN's most popular track, and that it was only released in studio version on an EP of the same name, so here we are.

These proponents of the post rock subgenre of crescendocore tend to construct their themes gradually and subtly, beginning with sparse arrangements. Several climaxes occur rather than the predictable but apparently reversible apocalypse at the end of each track that post rock giants have led us to expect for a quarter century. The title track, for instance, kicks off almost imperceptibly with a acoustic guitar carrying the main melody and even returns to it about halfway through before a fuller arrangement follows, enhanced organically by real strings. "The Heart that Fed" has a decidedly more rock feel to it with some monstrous but always tasteful riffs, while "CMF" is mostly an acoustic folk number atypical of post rock I've heard. The rest are remixes of previously released numbers, with the "High Lonesome" demo blanketing all with a droning ambient dusting, which makes me wonder whether the bonus tracks on the debut by AMENOPHIS from 1983 represent an early lo fi post rock gambit.

While the added material seems like so much padding, the three original compositions are worth underscoring for their apparent impact on the career of these New Englanders, though sadly Chris Friedrich died suddenly just before the EP's release. 3.5 stars.

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